Derrick mover



y 1949. c. SWARTZ' Q 2,469,087

DERRICK MOVER Filed Aug. 13, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 52 3/ 3 J2 as 52 a 52 May 3, 1949.

c. SWARTZ 2,469,087

DERRICK MOVER Filed Aug. 13, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I ln'eulor EL Sunny-2 m- Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- DERRICK MOVER Clark Swartz, Cody, Wyo.

Application August 13, 1946, Serial No. 690,303

2 Claims. (Cl. 280-81) This invention relates to a, derrick mover and more particularly to a device for moving a derrick from place to place.

In the oil fields it has become a practice to erect a derrick or drill rig for the purpose of supporting the well-drilling equipment, and then after the well has been drilled and cased to leave the derrick or drill rig in place over the mouth of the well where it serves no useful purpose, once the well has been drilled. Such practice has resulted in not only the waste of materials, but also complete loss of the time required to erect the derrick or drill rig.

It is the primary object of this invention to salvage the derrick or drill rig intact so that it may be employed for drilling and easing other wells.

Another object is to save the time which would be consumed in the erection of a derrick or drill rig in a new location, and hence effect economies in the production of oil.

A further object is to facilitate the transfer of an already erected derrick or drill rig from one location to another.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a frame of a size and shape to conform to the size and shape of the base of a derrick or drill rig, a derrick foot-supporting plate at each corner of the frame and a carriage in vertical alignment with each of certain derrick foot-supporting plates to lend mobility to the frame.

Other features include means to turn at least two of the carriages in unison about vertical axles to facilitate the steering of the frame while the device is in transit with a derrick or drill rig supported thereon.

Still other features include means to couple a tractor to the frame in such a manner that the frame may be steered to follow the path of the tractor. v

More specific features include a carriage under each corner of the frame which comprises an inverted U-shaped yoke, a supporting frame mounted in each yoke to rock about a horizontal axis, frame supporting wheels at opposite ends of each supporting frame and an endless tread trained over the wheels of each supporting frame.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of a derrick mover embodying the features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of Figure 1 showing a fragment of a derrick supported thereon,

Figure 3 is a front view of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the carriages,

' Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the carriages, and a fragment of the supporting frames.

Referring to the drawings in detail my improved derrick mover comprises a main frame III comprised of tubular side bars II and tubular front and rear bars I2 forming a rectangular supporting frame. The ends of the side and end bars II and I2 are adjustably connected together by sleeves I3 each of which carries a corner plate I4. The sleeves I3 are held in various adjusted positions on the bars II and I2 by means of adjusting screws or bolts I5 so that the device may be expanded or contracted to fit the bases of derricks of different sizes.

The plates I 4 form the supports for the lower ends of columns I6 forming portions of the substructure of the base designated generally ll of a derrick designated generally I8.

Secured to the side bars I I near their rear ends are sleeves I 9 carrying supporting brackets 20, and extending transversely of the frame it] from one supporting bracket to the other is a telescopic bar 2 I.

Fixed by means of a sleeve 22 to the forward end bar I2 midway between its ends is a plate 23 to which radius rods 23 are connected. These radius rods extend rearwardly and outwardly to the brackets 20 and serve to transmit pull on the frame 50 adjacent its rear end as will be more fully understood from the following description. Pivotally supported at 25 adjacent the forward edge of the plate 23 is a tongue 26 which projects forwardly from the frame II] and is provided at its extreme forward end with a coupling element 2'! by means of which the device may be coupled to a tractor.

Pivotally supported at 28 to rotate about a vertical axis in each plate M' at the forward end of the frame I0 is an inverted U-shaped yoke. 29 between the depending arms of which is pivotally supported as at 30 a carriage 3| carrying at opposite ends axles 32 upon which wheels 33 are mounted for rotation. An endless tread 34 is trained over each pair of wheels 33 to form a relatively wide track, so that the weight of the device will be distributed over a wide surface of the ground being traversed. Formed along one side of each yoke 29 at the forward end of the frame iii are lever arms 35 to which tie bars 36 and 31 are pivoted as at 38. The tie bar 31 is of telescopic construction and serves to connect the rear ends of the foremost yokes 29 so that when one of the yokes is rotated about its vertical tive sideand end bars I derrick will be riagesbeneath the four corners of the mover, so-

pivot 28, the other will move in unison therewith. The link or the tie bar 31 is adjusted to suit the width of the base of the derrick to be moved and the adjustment is secured by means of a set screw 39. The ends of the tie bars 36 opposite those connected to the arm 35 are pivotall'y connected as at 40 to a link 4| which is pivoted at. to thetongue 26, solthat as the tongue 26 moves about its pivot 25 will move in unison therewith, and thus cause the yokes 29 to move about their pivots 28. It will thus be seen that as the tractor attached to the coupling 21 changes its course, the frame 10 will be caused to follow.

The carriages at the rear end of the frame In correspond in all respects to the carriages at the forward end ofthe frame 10 except that they are not equipped with the pivotal supports 28, but instead are bolted as at 43 directly to theirrespective corner plates 14.

In use the derrick mover I is moved to a position beside a derrick already erected and which has been properly prepared for moving. The sleeves l3 are then adjusted on their respec-' I and 12 to form a rectangle equal in size to the base of the derrick. The derrick is then loaded onto the frame with the corner plates l6 of the sub-frameof the derrick resting on the corner plates 14 of the frame 10. The rearmost carriages may be rigidly bolted to the sub-frame of the derrick,

the link 4| changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A derrick mover which includes a pair of spaced parellel side bars, a pair of spaced paral-- lel end bars, said side and end bars being assembled'to form a rectangle, a mobile carriage at each corner of the rectangle, a derrick-foot supporting plate carried by each carriage, means coupling the foot supporting plates to the side and end bars for longitudinal adjustment thereon, a plate mounted intermediate the ends of one of the end bars, a draft tongue connected to the plate and radius rods connecting the plate with the side bars near the opposite end bar whereby pull on the draft tongue will be transmitted to the-side bars.

2. A derrick mover which includes a pair of spaced parallel side bars, a pair of spaced parallel end bars, said side and end bars being assembled to form a rectangle, a 'mobile carriage at each corner of the rectangle, a derrick-foot supporting plate carried by each carriage, means coupling the foot supporting plates to the side and end bars for longitudinal adjustment thereon, a plate coupled to one of the end bars interwhereupon the forward end of the derrick is seanchored to the plates M. The load of the transmitted directly to the carcurely that the frame 10 serves merely to tie the carriages in proper position beneath the corners of the derrick. Upon coupling a tractor to the coupling 21 it will be obvious that the derrick mover and the derrick may be-moved in unison so that the derrick may be transferred to a new location without requiring that it be dismantled. In this way much time and labor can be saved and the same derrick or drill rig may be employed to drill an unlimited number of wells in an oil field.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the .preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor mediate the ends thereof, a draft tongue pivoted to the plate, a radius rod coupled at one-end to a corner of the plate on the side remote from the draft tongueand at its opposite end toa side bar near the end bar remote from that to which the plate' is coupled, and means coupling the draft tongue with the carriages adjacent the end bar carrying the platefor turning said carriages in unison about spaced vertical axes.

CLARK SWARTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,296,659 Bates et a1 Sept. 22, 1942 

